3DO Interactive Multiplayer
| 3DO Interactive Multiplayer | ||||
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| Manufacturer |
The 3DO Company , Panasonic |
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| Type | stationary game console | |||
| generation | fifth generation of consoles | |||
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| Main processor | 32 bit ARM60 RISC | |||
| Storage media | CD-ROMs | |||
| Online service | none | |||
| Units sold | about 2 million | |||
| Most successful game | Gex | |||
3DO Interactive Multiplayer (usually 3DO for short ) is a stationary game console of the fifth generation of consoles by The 3DO Company , which was first released on October 4, 1993 in the United States.
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The specifications of the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer were developed by the New Technology Group , which was ultimately acquired by the 3DO Company. The first variant of the CD console, which was very powerful for the time and already designed for 3D graphics, was the FZ-1, which Panasonic brought onto the market in 1993 for $ 700.
Later variants came from Sanyo , Samsung , Goldstar and Creative Labs . While the manufacturer Sanyo brought its device onto the market exclusively in Japan, Samsung presented its version of the 3DO at the CES in Chicago in the summer of 1994 , which could also play VCD films . However, this was never published. The Goldstar 3DO console appeared in Asia and Europe for a price of $ 399, making it cheaper than the Panasonic device. Creative Labs manufactured an ISA plug-in card for PCs under the name “3DO Blaster” , which enables 3DO software to be run on them. Crystal Dynamics was founded specifically for the development of 3DO games. The porn film company Vivid Entertainment Group also released some softcore VCDs.
The software offer was relatively small and only contained a few titles, which, however, could graphically stand out from the competition. The Need for Speed and FIFA International Soccer in particular demonstrated the console's 3D capabilities. A particularly well-known game of the 3DO became Plumbers Don't Wear Ties due to its negative reviews. Overall, however, the palette was only filled with a few killer applications . Although the 3DO is a US console, there are an unusually high number of Japanese titles such as: B. Policenauts (Konami) and Lucienne's Quest (Microcabin).
The 3DO was not only seen as the birth console for numerous game series ( The Need For Speed and Gex first appeared on the 3DO), but also as a playground for the programmers for numerous experiments with film sequences. So-called full motion videos (FMV) with real actors were often used as part of the game content in a not insignificant part of the available games . Examples include a. the lightgun shooter from American Laser Games as well as some games from the interactive movie genre: Night Trap and Psychic Detective should be mentioned above all , which use FMV not as an end in itself, but as part of the progressive action.
Technical specifications
- Processor: 32-bit ARM60-RISC (12.5 MHz) and a math coprocessor
- RAM: 2 MB
- Video memory: 1 MB
- Graphics chip: 2 × 32-bit video processors (25 MHz each) with 64 million pixels per second
- Resolution: 320 × 240 or 320 × 480 (internal), 640 × 480 interpolated (output)
- Color palette: 16.7 million (24 bits per pixel)
- Sound chip: 16-bit DSP (25 MHz), with 44.1 kHz sampling rate and Dolby Surround support
- Double speed CD drive
- Internal memory: 32 kB SRAM / 1 MB ROM
Games
Web links
- FreeDO Project - The first working 3DO emulator (English)
- 3DO Today (English)
- Extensive special about the 3DO on neXGam.de (German)
- Comprehensive presentation of the 3DO on Pixelor.de (German)
Individual evidence
- ^ Henrik Fisch: 3DO Blaster , in: Power Play 1/1995, pages 30-32
- ↑ Panasonic 3DO
- ↑ 3DO
